I’m not sure how to title this, but I’m purging my Diet this week.
Stage 2 Purging involves getting into routine and lifestyle choices. This week, I decided to get my diet under control.
A little background in the spirit of full disclosure: I’m 23, 6’4”, and have a very large frame. I’ve got tree trunks for legs from riding bikes my whole life, and I’ve got super wide shoulders. I grew up very large, 302lbs to be exact, and lost 100lbs about 6 years ago. After making it through college, I’m around 215-220lbs. I’ve actually grown an inch in the last year as well, so in reality I’m probably about 8lbs over where I should be, but I’d like to get back down to 205 by the 4th of July. 15lbs in 6 weeks = 2.5lbs/week…not too bad.
The golden rule: Diets don’t work. You need to make lifestyle changes to achieve your desired results.
The changes you make in your diet are going to do nothing for you in the long term if they aren’t permanent or sustainable. Thus, it’s best to avoid crazy diet tactics to “jump start your weight loss”. Make simple changes that you will keep for the rest of your life, and your body will follow suit. You may not loose all of the weight you want to in 4 months, but the weight you do loose will stay off, and you won’t waste time loosing the same weight over and over. These are a few simple things that I’m going to do that will help me to get the weight off:
Eat in. Cooking for yourself saves you money, but it also lets you control everything you put in your body. There’s lots of hidden bad stuff in a lot of restaurant food, and if you’re new to watching your diet, it’s hard to spot. This is the easiest way to avoid the “I’m on a diet, but I have no clue why I’m not loosing weight” syndrome.
Don’t Drink Calories. This may seem like a weird one, but don’t brush it off. The reason obesity was much lower 30 and 40 years ago is highly attributed to the lack of calorie heavy beverages. Energy drinks, fruit juices, and regular soda are super popular now, and they’re loaded with sugar and hidden calories. I stick to water, skim milk, and a glass of pure grapefruit juice daily (vitamin C helps burn fat as well), and I’m currently battling my Diet Coke addiction.
Avoid White Carbs Like the Plague. Processed carbs are stripped of every single good thing in them, and left yielding empty calories. They digest quickly, convert to sugar and then fat, and leave you hungry. Switch to whole grains and eat high fiber products. They have lots of nutrients, take a long time to digest, and it takes less to fill you up, resulting in less calories and more time feeling full and content.
Read Labels. Don’t even look at the packaging and gimmicks. Instead, go straight to the the nutrition facts. They’re the easiest, cut-and-dry way to figure out if a food fits into your diet.
Eat Simple. Try to make meals that only have a few ingredients. Pick one protein, one source of fiber, maybe a sauce or spice, and one or two vegetables, and just go for it. Eat natural, low fat and unprocessed foods. Choose locally grown, seasonal produce. This kind of means eliminating choices, because a lot of times condiments have a lot of hidden calories, sodium, and sugar that you don’t need. If you don’t use them, you don’t need to worry about these hidden things.
As usual, I’m sure there are tons more things you can do, but these are the tried and true ways that help me maintain a healthy weight. Notice I said maintain…I’m not going on a diet, I’m getting back to eating healthier, and my body will follow in my footsteps. I’d also like to mention Lean Protein- try to eat it in every meal. Protein builds muscle, which in turn burns fat. It also, like fiber, takes a long time to digest, so it’ll keep you full. By doing these things, and getting back on my bike more, I’m hoping to get the extra few pounds back off.
